The proof is in the testing…

Designers are often regarded as the people who make things pretty with their colour crayons. The reality is that designers add value to projects because of their ability to analyse and organise information, and present it in an aesthetic and functional way. This ability is based on experience and observation, in the case of typography over the course of many centuries. Yet designers find it difficult to argue the validity of their work rationally, and provide proof. Recent advances in psychology and neurosciences provide the design community with tools to prove the validity of their work. Bruno Maag and Alessia Nicotra review a selection of studies published in regards to the emotional and functional qualities of typefaces since Poffenberger in 1927. The presentation investigates the methodologies employed and questions the results in the cultural and technological contexts of their time, and provide guidance as to their relevance today. The presentation will give designers an insight into how to argue the validity of their work and how to place it within a methodological framework for testing.